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This information can be used to develop food safety and quality programs that meet the requirements of modern Regulatory, Customer and Industry Standards:
When considering the development, documentation, and implementation of Packaging Standards within food safety and quality management systems, the following information should be considered to ensure effective outcomes:
Packaging not only assists in the preservation of food but also keeps food safe from contamination and damage and provides a viable marketing opportunity for marketing branded food products. Packaging design and materials should provide adequate protection for products to minimize contamination, prevent damage, and accommodate appropriate labeling. Any packaging materials or gases used must be non-toxic and must not pose a threat to the safety and suitability of food under the specified conditions of storage and use. Where appropriate, reusable or convenience packaging should be suitably durable, easy to clean and sanitize.
Packaging Standards procedures should be formatted to ensure that packaging conforms to relevant specifications which may be based upon regulatory or industry guidelines, or for customer requirements. Packaging materials or procedures mustn’t impact the safety or quality of the foods being packaged. Unused packaging should be handled and stored in a manner that does not compromise food safety or quality. Obsolete packaging materials must be securely disposed of to prevent their accidental use.
The materials used for food packaging are many and varied, including:
The main requirements for determining the suitability for packaging for a particular food item relies on the composition of the food, and the intended purpose for the packaging. Packaging materials must not affect the safety or suitability of the foods being packaged. This is an important consideration regarding the common use of recycled materials to produce food packaging, a factor that may also be considered in conjunction with legislative requirements. Modern technology provides the seemingly limitless application of packaging options that facilitates food safety and quality of the highest caliber, whilst allowing increased accessibility and marketability for branded products.
The following common packaging variants are provided as examples of indicative processes:
Reduced Oxygen Packaging or ROP is one of the most common modern techniques used for packaging perishable items within a sealed package to prolong shelf life. Products packaged using ROP produced favorable safety outcomes if appropriate controls are implemented and managed throughout the packaging process. Using ROP in conjunction with a HACCP approach offers an effective method for packaging and preserving foodstuffs.
ROP can create a significantly anaerobic environment that prevents the growth of aerobic micro-organisms such as Pseudomonas or aerobic yeast and molds, which are often responsible for off-odors, slime, texture changes, and general signs of spoilage. Reducing the oxygen in and around a food inhibits the oxidation process, which also controls rancidity in high fat and oily foods. ROP also prevents oxidation-related color deterioration in foods. An additional effect of sealing food in ROP is the reduction of product shrinkage by preventing water loss. These benefits allow an extended shelf-life for foods within the supply and logistics chain, which also provides unique marketing and product quality advantages.
It is important to consider that all forms of ROP can create significant food safety risks if their application is not correct. Potentially hazardous foods must still be stored under strict temperature control, even if they are Reduced Oxygen Packaged. This factor is particularly important regarding instances in which consumers of ROP products do not maintain appropriate temperature control of packaged foods. While ROP works extremely well to control the growth of aerobic spoilage bacteria, many anaerobic micro-organisms are associated with foodborne illness, such as Clostridia species, Campylobacter species, and Listeria monocytogenes are not always well controlled. This is where the application of accepted preservation measures such as pH, salt content, and water activity can strengthen the ROP process and provide extra control over microbial pathogens. Consumers have come to expect that certain packages of foods would be safe without refrigeration, for example, low-acid canned foods that have been thermally processed rendering the food shelf-stable. Retort heating ensures the destruction of Clostridium botulinum spores as well as all other foodborne pathogens. Consumers need to understand that most products that are packaged in ROP are not commercially sterile or shelf-stable and must still be refrigerated. A clear labeling statement to keep the product under temperature control, or for other specified usage requirements, must be provided to consumers.
Types of Reduced Oxygen Packaging include:
Controlled Atmosphere Packaging or CAP is an active system that continuously maintains the desired atmosphere within a package throughout the shelf-life of a product by the use of agents to bind or scavenge oxygen or a sachet containing compounds to emit gas. Controlled Atmosphere Packaging is defined as the packaging of a product in a modified atmosphere followed by maintaining subsequent control of that atmosphere.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging or MAP relies on altering the composition of gases in contact with the food by replacing air with a single gas, or a mixture of gases. The general aim of MAP is to exclude or greatly reduce oxygen levels, retain the moisture content of the food, and inhibit aerobic microbiological growth. The choice of packaging material used for MAP depends on the recommended storage temperature for the food, the relative humidity of the package, and the effect of light, if any, on the contents. Food Grade Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, and Nitrogen are commonly used within the MAP processing of foodstuffs. These gases generally have no adverse effect on the safety or quality of the foods being packaged but do have the potential to increase the shelf life of products when applied appropriately.
Sous Vide is generally used for cooked or raw foods that require refrigeration or frozen storage until the package is thoroughly heated immediately before service. The sous vide process is a pasteurization step that reduces bacterial load but is not sufficient to make the food shelf-stable.
The Sous Vide process commonly involves the following steps:
Sous vide is a professional cooking method that utilizes plastic oxygen barriers and precise temperature controls to cook food items with reduced oxidation and extend shelf life as outcomes. The process allows the controlled cooking of items in an oxygen-free environment, which if maintained, will last longer than foods cooked using more traditional methods by excluding food contact with aerobic bacteria after cooking. The outcomes of sous vide cookery include foods with naturally enhanced flavors and organoleptic qualities.
Vacuum Packaging extracts the air from a package using a vacuum pull and hermetically seals the package so that a near-perfect vacuum remains inside. A common variation of the process is Vacuum Skin Packaging or VSP, where a highly flexible plastic barrier is used to mold itself to the contours of the food being packaged.
In instances where sub-contracted packaging or labeling activities are conducted, it is of utmost importance that the scope and purpose of interactions of such sub-contractors are documented, and agreed upon, both internally and by relevant customers.
It is generally not considered appropriate for food businesses to procure the services of a sub-contracted packaging or labeling supplier without the prior consent of the customer for whom they manufacture foodstuffs. Such customer approvals often include verification of satisfactory standards, including the confirmation of food-grade packaging status.
In instances where Identity Preserved products are handled by sub-contracted packaging or labeling suppliers, it is important to ensure that the integrity and ‘genuine’ status of such foods are maintained. This is often facilitated through the establishment of assessment and testing routines between food businesses that may enter into sub-contracted packaging or labeling arrangements to ensure the status of Identity Preserved products is not compromised.
Compliance with these requirements can be monitored and reviewed through the Approved Supplier Program.
Regardless of whether product labeling and coding is pre-printed or applied as part of the packaging process, all forms of product identification and traceability must remain legible and indelible at all times.
Legibility checks are conducted to ensure that the print within the product labeling and coding can be read and understood by the anticipated consumer group. It is also important to consider that regulatory guidelines often specify requirements for defining the legibility of product labeling and coding.
Indelibility checks are conducted to ensure that the product labeling and coding are permanent and will not be removed through unwanted means. When considering the indelibility characteristics of product labeling and coding, it is important to consider circumstances through which such labeling or coding may become illegible. For example, if the exterior of a frozen product becomes frosted during transport, the excess moisture on the product exterior could potentially cause the product label or coding to become illegible. Environmental conditions, such as high humidity within the packaging and labeling area of the food business can also potentially impact the integrity of the applied labeling.
Product assessments should be inclusive of labeling and coding reviews to ensure ongoing compliance. Scheduled product labeling and coding verification activities should also confirm the capability to continuously apply legible and indelible labeling and coding. Where product coding is applied within the food business, verification activities are commonly inclusive of a review of the inks being used, the ink application systems and printers, and the surfaces upon which the ink is applied. Other product coding methods, including laser etching and imprinting, may also be verified through a scheduled activity.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Packaging Standards Development requirements concerning their items.
Document: A document provides guidance and/or direction for performing work, making decisions, or rendering judgments that affect the safety or quality of the products or services that customers receive.
Documented policies, procedures, work instructions, and schedules form the basis of any food safety and quality management system. The following document formats may be considered to ensure ongoing compliance with specified requirements for Packaging Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Packaging Standards Documentation requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Packaging Standards Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Packaging Standards documentation, record, and resource formats commonly applied within food safety and quality systems.
Implementation: Implementation is the application of documented food safety and quality system elements into the actual business operation.
The implementation of Packaging Standards within any food business requires genuine commitment from senior management, staff, and visitors to ensure the nominated goals of implementation are achievable on an ongoing basis. It is a step that requires significant planning and consideration of general and specific food business circumstances to ensure the outcomes of Packaging Standards do not negatively impact the safety and quality of the food items dispatched from the business.
Implementation of Packaging Standards must include a clear definition of responsibilities and authorities for all levels of participation by senior management, staff, and visitors to the site.
When implementing Packaging Standards within the food safety and quality system, you may wish to consider the following requirements before completion:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Packaging Standards Implementation requirements concerning their items.
Monitoring: Monitoring is the act of reviewing and confirming measurable parameters of a defined process or product status.
Monitoring requirements within food industry sectors are generally identified against limits of acceptability defined within HACCP plans, implementation procedures, and work instructions. Monitoring usually includes some element of record-keeping, which may be maintained manually or through digital systems. It is important to consider that advancements in technology have spawned many systems and processes which are self-monitored and or self-adjusted when variances are identified. Regardless of the system used; The goal of any monitoring activity is to provide sufficient evidence that any limit of acceptability has been met.
Traditional Packaging Standards monitoring requirements include manual recording and the application of corrective actions when the results of monitoring are found to be outside acceptable limits. Corrective Actions should also generally be strongly linked to the monitoring process were applied to ensure full traceability of the applied actions.
Common monitoring activities and record formats may apply to Packaging Standards:
You may wish to visit the Packaging Standards Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Packaging Standards documentation, record, and resource formats commonly applied within food safety and quality systems.
Corrective Action: Corrective action is mandatory action to be taken when a deviation to the Quality System occurs, particularly concerning a Critical Control Point.
Preventative Action: At any step in the process where a hazard has been identified, preventative action must be put into place to prevent re-occurrence.
Corrective Action and Preventative Action is implemented to ensure that any identified non-conformance issues are documented, investigated, and rectified within appropriate time-frames.
Corrective action is any action applied to regain control over a product, process, policy, or procedure that has been identified as being non-conforming outside nominated limits of acceptability.
Preventative action is any action applied to prevent any identified non-conformance from reoccurring.
The outcomes of corrective and preventative actions should result in regained process control after effective application. Specified corrective actions are commonly linked to the HACCP Plans and the food business certification process.
Below are Corrective Action and Preventative Action examples which may be associated with Packaging Standards related non-conformance:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Packaging Standards Corrective Action requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Corrective Action and Preventative Action section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Verification: The act of reviewing, inspecting, testing, checking, auditing, or otherwise establishing and documenting whether items, processes, services, or documents conform to specified requirements.
Verification is the detailed review of all food safety and quality system elements to confirm that they are effectively developed, documented, implemented, monitored, and reviewed. All food safety and quality system elements, including documented policies, procedures, training, HACCP plans, and their operational applications must be verified on an ongoing scheduled basis. The verification process commonly includes a defined schedule for which verification activities are required, how often they are conducted, who is responsible, and detailed documented procedures for each nominated verification activity.
The general goal of an established verification process is to ensure any systemic non-conformance issues are identified and rectified within an appropriate time frame. When non-conformance issues are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
The following examples of verification activities may apply to Packaging Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Packaging Standards Verification requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Verification Activities section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Validation: The process of gathering evidence to provide a scientific basis for the documented act of demonstrating that a procedure, process, and activity will consistently lead to the expected results. It often includes the qualification of systems and equipment.
Validation is the provision of evidence to support the limits of control or acceptability for food safety or quality parameters nominated within systemic elements. Limits of control or acceptability are commonly included within documented food safety and quality systems elements such as procedures, HACCP plans, and specifications.
Common sources of validation include regulatory and legislative standards, finished product specifications and customer requirements, industry codes of practice and guidelines, verified and validated research, historical product, and process control outcomes, and analytical testing.
The general goal of an established validation process is to ensure any systemic non-conformance issues are identified and rectified within an appropriate time frame. When non-conformance issues are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
Validation activities are commonly defined within the verification schedules and procedures of established food safety and quality management systems.
The following examples may apply to the validation of the limits of control or acceptability for Packaging Standards:
You may wish to visit the Validation Activities section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Skills and Knowledge: Skills and knowledge are attributes of human interactions commonly linked to competency within any specified job-related task.
Training and competency requirements for Packaging Standards must be ongoing, including regularly scheduled reviews to ensure the effectiveness of training and competency outcomes.
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Packaging Standards should have a knowledge including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Packaging Standards should have skills including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Packaging Standards should have access to resources including:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Packaging Standards Training, Competency, and Resources requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Training, Competency, and Resources section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
haccp.com was created to support food businesses and food industry professionals in achieving and maintaining the stringent requirements of food industry compliance.